Everything About Languages of Colombia

The economy of Colombia is the fourth largest and area-wise the fifth largest in Latin America, besides being the most populous among the Spanish-speaking South America. The current Colombian culture and systems are greatly influenced by indigenous tribes, European conquerors, and West African slaves. All these factors have contributed to making Colombia a multilingual country. 

Source: Wikipedia

Hence, a prime factor that has shaped how the Colombian economy grows, connects, and communicates is Language. In this blog, we decipher the role these languages play in the broader context and the crucial role that professional spanish translation services play in enhancing Colombian organizations' global outreach.

Languages of Colombia: Indigenous Roots and the Dominance of Spanish

Spanish is spoken by a majority of the people of Colombia. It might seem overwhelming but 65+ regional dialects of Spanish and indigenous languages are spoken in the Republic of Colombia. Here is a detailed insight into the major languages in Colombia and some interesting facts about the Colombian language.

Spanish/Colombian Spanish 

Colombia ranks third in the list of largest Spanish-speaking countries, after Mexico and the US. A staggering 99.5% of the Colombian population uses Spanish as their first language. Colombia ranked as the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in 2022, with more than 50 million people using it for communication. 

Source: Wikipedia

However, the Spanish spoken and used in Colombia differs from the Spanish used in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions. The Colombian Spanish grammar is greatly influenced by Latin, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Romanian languages, whereas the vocabulary used is inspired by Arabic, Greek, and German.

Some linguists have even gone on to declare Colombian Spanish as “the best in the world” and Bogota is famously known as the best place to learn Spanish! 

 

Image Credits: Statista

Prevalence of English in Colombia

While Spanish is considered to be the official language, some parts of Colombia like  San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina use English as the official language. People in Colombia do speak English, but being a non-native language even academically a majority of the tutors are Spanish speakers which influences their proficiency in English. According to statistics, around 1.2 million people, or only 3% of the Colombian population can speak English.

 

Image Credits: Preply

Colombia’s Indigenous languages

Some of the indigenous languages spoken in Colombia account for approximately 1.2% of the population. It is believed that 65 American-Indian languages (Amerindian), 2 Creole languages (Palenquero and Creole English), Portuguese language, and Romanian languages are still spoken in Columbia. The 65Amerindian languages are further divides into 12 unique language families.

Besides these Wayuu, Paez (Nasa Yuwe), and Embera are some of the most spoken indigenous languages. Some other sources cite that 87 local languages,( including sign language!) are still used by minorities in certain parts of Colombia and are almost on the verge of extinction, which has rolled a new Language Justice movement across Colombia. 

Some of these languages are Achagua, Bora, Cacua, Cabiyarí, Barasana-Eduria, Carapana, Carabayo, Carapana, Andoque, Arhuaco, Embera, Epena, Guanano, Hupde, Kogi, Ticuna and more!

Colombian Spanish Vs Mexican Spanish Vs European Spanish

Though the general perception is that Spanish is the same everywhere there are some inherent differences due to influence from various historical and geographical aspects. 

Colombians often use "vos" instead of "tú," and their diminutive suffix is "-ico" rather than Mexico's "-ito." Colombians use different words for greetings like "¿Qué más?" whereas Mexicans say "¿Qué onda?" .The vocabulary also differs drastically from region to region. Colombian and European Spanish also have notable differences while Colombians use "ustedes", people from Spain say "vosotros" for "you all. 

Shape Possibilities through Translation 

Colombia is at the epicenter of activity with foreign direct investment (FDI) increasing every year. It has a strategic geographic location and robust infrastructure making it a business hub. 

According to Statista, the total revenue in Colombia is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2027) of 10.71%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$7.49m by 2027. 

These statistics point to the need for organizations to collaborate with certified translation services to make their business linguistically visible and approachable to the target audience. 

Colombia offers a host of positive environment for businesses in pharma, food, cosmetics, healthcare, IT, etc. to thrive through sustainable energy, food sovereignty, and agro-industrialisation. The travel industry can use the opportunity cited in the graph below by translating from Spanish to English, Spanish to Mandarin Chinese, Spanish to Hindi, and more. 

They can open doors to revenue by partnering with the best Spanish translation service providers to translate booking websites, itineraries, documents, and more. Our technical translation services help multinationals in Colombia in the manufacturing and IT sectors to ease communication through translated product descriptions, technical and shop floor documents.

 

Image Credits: Pelecanus

LanguageNoBar’s Translation Services: Colombian Spanish to Global Languages

LanguageNoBar’s Spanish translation services help people investing in Colombia to connect with the Colombian Spanish-speaking population by tapping into the intricacies and uniqueness of Colombian Spanish through the translation of academic, commercial, immigration, and legal documents. Our team of linguists under the subtleties and differences between Colombian Spanish, Mexican Spanish, and European Spanish, hence providing the right translation for the right audience. 

At LanguageNoBar we help synergize with the Colombian ecosystem through our official translation services. Translate your documents, websites, apps, business sales brochures, and more to and from Spanish and see your sales soar. Whether you have a multinational business or want to ease offshoring your business, our translation services help you do the same with accuracy, professionalism, and ease.

 

Comments